MADISON (WKOW) -- The Madison Metropolitan School District and its teachers have a new contract.
Thursday, the Board of Education voted 7 to zero to approve a contract with Madison Teachers, Incorporated, the union representing Madison teachers.
The board ratified new collective bargaining agreements early Thursday with AFSCME workers.
The district and teachers took advantage of the ruling by Dane County judge Juan Colas that declared parts of Act 10 unconstitutional.
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MADISON (WKOW) -- The Madison School Board is meets tonight on approving tentative contracts with its employee unions. The Wisconsin State Journal reports the Board is expected to approve one-year deals for 2013-14 in two separate meetings on Thursday, first on the agreement with AFSCME Local 60 at noon and then on the contract with Madison Teachers, Inc. at 6:00 p.m.
Superintendent Jane Belmore released the following statement Wednesday night after the district and employee unions reached tentative agreements:
"Because of the recent court ruling on Act 10, the Board of Education decided that it was in the best interest of our district to collectively bargain with our employee unions. We've negotiated in good faith and in a timely manner, and we have come to tentative agreements with all of our represented units to bring before the Board for a vote. Throughout these discussions, we've put student learning in the forefront, with a respect for the fact that our employees are the people who directly or indirectly impact that learning. Our tentative agreements will give the district flexibility to better meet the learning needs of students and successfully implement our Achievement Gap Plan, while at the same time maintaining protections and security for our staff.
The State Journal is also reporting members of all seven union bargaining units ratified the contracts Wednesday night.
Superintendent Belmore said in her statement the tentative agreements maintains the current salary schedule and retirement benefits. It also gives the district flexibility to raise base wages depending on financial outlook, and adds time for professional development and training.
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MADISON (WKOW) -- The Madison Metropolitan School District and its employee unions reached a tentative contract agreement Wednesday evening.
Superintendent Jane Belmore said the deals give the district flexibility to meet the needs of students and implement the district's plan to bridge the achievement gap.
The two sides began the collective bargaining process after the recent ruling in Dane County the declares Act 10 unconstitutional.
The Board of Education will vote on all contracts Thursday.
